Defending champion India suffered a staggering 76-run defeat to South Africa on Sunday night, as the "unstoppable" 12-match winning machine was dismantled in front of a stunned Ahmedabad crowd. Pursuing a target of 188, India’s star-studded batting lineup collapsed to 111 all out in 18.5 overs, marking their first defeat of the 2026 T20 World Cup and exposing significant vulnerabilities under pressure.
After opting to bat, South Africa’s decision appeared disastrous as Jasprit Bumrah (3/15) and Arshdeep Singh tore through the top order, leaving the visitors reeling at 20 for 3. However, the tide turned when David Miller, joined forces with young sensation Dewald Brevis.
Miller’s 63 off 35 balls and Brevis’s 45 off 29 neutralized India’s middle-overs spin threat. The duo targeted Varun Chakaravarthy, whose imposing record against South Africa (22 wickets in 11 games) was shattered in a single over that leaked 17 runs. A late-innings cameo from Tristan Stubbs (44 off 24) propelled the Proteas to a total that stayed well beyond India's reach.
Margin: 76 runs, India’s first T20 World Cup loss in 13 matches.
Miller’s impact: 63 runs, including a momentum-swinging onslaught against spin.
Spin struggles: India’s spinners (Chakaravarthy and Sundar) went wicketless, conceding 64 runs in six overs.
Top order woes: India has lost an opener for a duck in four of their five matches this tournament.
The chase began in nightmare fashion as Ishan Kishan fell for a duck on the fourth ball, deceived by the away drift of Aiden Markram’s off-spin. Tilak Varma followed immediately, nicking a Marco Jansen delivery to the keeper for zero.
While Abhishek Sharma finally ended his streak of three consecutive ducks with a boundary, his revival was short-lived. He holed out for 10 after mistiming a Jansen knuckleball. When captain Suryakumar Yadav tamely pulled a Corbin Bosch delivery to mid-wicket for 18, the Narendra Modi Stadium lapsed into an infamous, "silence".
The Proteas pace unit, led by Jansen and the disciplined Bosch, extracted more bounce and zip than their Indian counterparts. In the middle overs, Keshav Maharaj effectively killed the contest, claiming three wickets in the 15th over as Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube fell attempting a desperate late-innings recovery.
The defeat leaves India at a crossroads in Group 1. With their "favorite" status to reach the semi-finals, in jeopardy. The conditions have raised urgent questions about their ability to handle high-pressure scenarios. While the dominance of the group stages feel like a distant memory.
